Bass sat up in bed and immediately reached for Charlie, only to find that she wasn't there. There was silence in the house. He could have sworn he'd heard screaming.

Dismissing the pained wail he heard as the tail end of a nightmare he thankfully couldn't remember, he lay back down to wait for Charlie to return.

As he stared at the ceiling, it occurred to him that despite the screwed up situation - he was genuinely happy. Though it might have been crazy, the young woman who'd gone from trying to kill him to sharing his bed, was the best thing that had ever happened to him. And when morning came they were going to pack up and leave. Together.

The Patriots were still a problem that needed to be gotten rid of, which meant they weren't totally free to go where they wanted. But now that he had something that actually made him happy - he'd never been more determined to end this war and move on.

Once it was over, he'd take his woman and bring her far away from war and politics. Somewhere quiet, where they could put down roots and finally start living.

When the door slammed open he actually jumped.

"Monroe."

That one word was said in a way that told him something was terribly wrong.

"Where's Charlie?" His only thoughts were with her as worry set in.

Aaron looked totally drained. "I'd be lying if I said she's okay, but it's not her, it's-"

"Where is she?" Bass was up and fully dressed in a matter of seconds.

"She's downstairs. Listen-" Aaron took his life in his hands as he moved in front of him. Bass tried to keep ahold of his temper, but the urge to choke the life out of the man keeping him from Charlie was nearly overwhelming. "Rachel is, she's dead. Charlie found her."

Bass barely heard, he shoved past Aaron, practically sprinting downstairs.

"Charlotte!"

What he found chilled him to the core. Rachel had been kept in the downstairs bedroom to recover. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting to find but it wasn't this.

There was blood everywhere. Splashed on the walls, pooling around the body, on the bed, dripping slowly onto the carpet.

Charlie was on the floor, staring at the corpse of her mother. Miles was crouched behind her, seemingly staring at nothing. Gene was kneeling over his daughter, visibly shaking.

Bass had yet to look directly at Rachel. He stood, frozen in the doorway. He felt Aaron come up behind him and asked softly, "What the hell happened? Did she do this?"

"She was stabbed. Repeatedly. Somebody killed her."

Along with the shock, Bass couldn't help the fear that struck him when he realized that Rachel Matheson could only have been killed by someone inside this house. And who was going to be blamed. He also knew, with deep certainty, that he and Charlie were finished. Even if she believed that he didn't do this - she had been on awful terms with her mom before this and would blame herself. And him.

Rachel's dad finally noticed the two new people at the door. Blankly, he motioned to Miles and Charlie, "Get them out of here."

Without another word, he turned his back to them and raised the sheet to cover Rachel's face. And Charlie finally reacted.

"What are you doing? She won't be able to breathe." She got up, moving to her grandpa and attempting to pull the sheet back. Gene grabbed her arms to stop her, pulling her against him, "What are you doing? Stop! She can't breathe!" Her voice broke and Bass finally snapped out of it. He'd felt like he was in some dream state until Charlotte's rising hysteria pulled him back to reality. It also seemed to shake Miles out of his stupor.

Together, they managed between them to get her out of the room, although she put up a hell of a fight. As soon as they got her into the living room and onto the couch though, she immediately went quiet. Bass was at a total loss. With no clue at all how to help her, or his brother. He watched, feeling helpless, as Miles hugged Charlie and met his gaze.

"Did you do this?"

The words hit him like a punch to the stomach. He staggered back under the weight of them. Miles was the last person he expected that question to come from.

"What? No, Miles. I didn't kill Charlie's mother. Are you crazy?"

But Miles simply nodded, rocking his distraught niece in his arms.

"Then we know who did." he said pointedly.

Bass shook his head, the same thought had been going through his mind since he'd stumbled into that blood soaked room. "No. No.. Connor didn't do this."

"Who else, Bass? It was you or it was him. I know it wasn't you. So you better find the little bastard before I do."

Bass couldn't help it, this was his son, he got angry. "You're not gonna touch my son, Miles. He didn't do this."

"Then who? Charlie? Gene? Aaron? Me, Bass? You think I did that to her?"

Desperately, he searched in vain in his mind for an alternative. Maybe she did it to herself... Maybe someone sneaked in, a stranger, and killed her... Maybe...

"Bass." His eyes snapped back to Miles. "Find your son. Go. Find him, and get him out of here because I swear, if I ever see him again I'll kill him."

"I'm not leaving her." The response was automatic, from somewhere deeper than his rational mind.

"You think she'll want you after this? Take your son and leave. Go get the Republic back, I know that's what you've been plotting."

"Miles, I-"

"Just go Bass. Get out of here."

The reign he had on his emotions up till now snapped, Yet again, everything he cared about was being taken from him. He couldn't do it. Not again. "You think I'm gonna up and leave her just because you told me to?"

"You're gonna do what I ask. Because if you don't... I'm gonna get your son. And I'm going to kill him."

"Sebastian." Her voice was weak, pained. And he wished he could cover his ears and not listen to what she was about to say. He couldn't look at her. For the first time in years, he wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. "I think you should-"

"No." He cut her off, voice trembling. "I love you. I love you and I'm not going anywhere."

"Miles, leave us alone." Charlie's voice was stronger as she sat up, pulling away from her uncle. Miles silently left the room, not even bothering to argue.

Bass still couldn't look at her.

"He's not lying. You know that. You know him even better than I do. He'll kill Connor. He'll kill him and then you'll wish you had gone when you had the chance." She sounded so completely defeated. But he wasn't letting go. Not now. Not after everything.

He went to her then, kneeling in front of the couch, his arms either side of her. "Charlotte... We don't even know who did it..." It was weak, he knew. But it was all he had.

Finally, they looked at each other. And they both knew they were screwed.

"And if he did? Are you gonna stand back and let us kill him?"

There was nothing he could say, or do.

"Don't lose your son because of me."

"I won't lose you to keep him."

It was then that she started crying. That, more than anything else, killed him. As her sobs took over her body he made a decision that would change both their lives forever. He wanted more than anything, to wrap her in his arms and stay there until Miles found Connor and did what he had to do. But he knew what she, and his brother, were trying to do for him, save him from.

"Miles." He called out softly.

The moment his brother entered the room he rose up to leave a kiss on Charlie's forehead and left the room.

Miles immediately went to Charlie and she threw her arms around him, crying silently, but hard.

"You did the right thing sweetheart. If he had to lose his son he'd never recover, we're losing him anyway."

Charlie knew her uncle was right, knew that sending Monroe away was the best thing for him. Letting Connor get away with what he had done to her mom was hard on them both, but the alternative was losing someone else they both loved, on the same day. At least this way there was a chance, maybe, that she'd see him again. But it wouldn't ever be the same, it couldn't be. So she cried her heart out, safe in Miles' arms and knew that after tonight Charlie Matheson would never shed another tear again.

Aaron found him in his room, packing.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"The right thing, Staypuft."

The door closed and he sighed heavily. But Aaron hadn't let him off that easy.

"You're going to just run off and abandon her? When she's just lost her mom?" The anger radiating off the man was impressive.

"It's what Miles wants. It's what she wants."

"You know that's not true. She's trying to protect you. How screwed up is that?" Aaron was pacing his room, his arms waving about. "Her mom was just brutally murdered and she's still trying to save you! She's trying to help you save Connor!"

There was nothing he could say. He'd never felt so torn up in his life. Choosing between Connor and Charlie was so much more simple when the life of his child wasn't at stake.

He cared about his son, because he was his blood, the only family he had left. But Bass could admit to himself that much of the time he barely liked him. And the guilt of that was always eating at him. But there was something in Connor - some darkness that even Bass had never naturally possessed. He had become what he did because of the things that had happened to him. It didn't make it right, not by a long shot, but there was a certain logic to it. Even a saint would eventually be consumed by the darkness if he were forced to live in it constantly.

But Connor - Connor had it in him, wired into his brain. He didn't even need to see him, to ask him, to know that he was capable of this. And something told Bass his son had probably enjoyed what he had done. Even he, at his very worst, had never liked doing monstrous things.

"You can't just leave."

He sighed again.

"I mean it Monroe. If you walk out on her now you'll never be able to take it back. And you know it. You'll lose her forever."

The words cut him, deeply. Even as he knew the truth of them his first instinct was denial. "You don't know that, alright? I'll take him away, far away. And then I'll come back for her. I'll always come back for her."

Aaron's snort broke the last tiny bit of his sanity. In one swift move he launched himself at the other man, pinning him against his bedroom wall. "You think I want this? You think I'm happy about it? That girl downstairs is the only good thing that's ever happened to me and my own son destroyed that. But he is my son and I have to protect him!" To his fury, he knew that there were tears on his face. Why was his life pre-destined to create tragedy every time he thought he was happy? He let Aaron go, stumbling back to his bed and sitting down to bury his face in his hands.

And then Aaron said the words that finished him.

"She doesn't want you to go. She's not just in a state because her mom's dead. She's in such a mess because she knows it cost her you as well. And she's willing to let it happen anyway. For you."

He felt a hand on his back and the weight on the bed shifting as Aaron sat down next to him.

"What the hell do I do?"

Never, in a million years, did he imagine he'd be asking that question of the man sat beside him. But he was at a complete loss.

"The only thing you can do is decide which one of them you can live without."

Then, Aaron let out an aggrieved sigh, "What do you want? Not now."

In confusion, Bass looked up and saw a small boy watching him from the far corner of the room. "Uh, Staypuft - what the hell is going on?"

"Wait, you can see him too?"

The boy was looking right at Bass. "You have to look in his room." He told him.

He looked to Aaron, who shrugged helplessly. "They've never appeared to anyone but me before."

"You have to look." The boy said again. "And you will see the truth. Go to his room, in the wooden box."

"Why are you here?" Bass, who was trying not to feel like the blonde chick in a scary movie, asked.

"Because you are about to make a mistake that will cost many lives. Including your own."

Then, the boy disappeared. They looked at each other uneasily.

Then they did as they were told.

Bass knocked on Connor's door, even though he knew he wasn't there.

After a moment he pushed the door open. The room was neat, tidy. There wasn't much furniture, giving it a slightly bare look. But at the end of the bed there was a box.

They both kneel ed in front of it, suddenly hesitant, unsure what they would find. As Bass reached out slowly to the lid, he was holding his breath, suddenly very afraid. Just as his fingers made contact a door downstairs slammed and they both shot backwards.

After a brief, terrified moment, he looked over at a very pale Aaron. "Let's never tell anyone that just happened."

"Deal."

He moved back over to the box and opened it, half-expecting to find a body inside.

Instead, it was pretty empty, aside from a few shirts that weren't exactly Connor's style there was only a small bundle of papers. Aaron was the one to lift them out for a closer look. As his eyes roved over the writing on the first page they widened in horror.

Wordlessly, he handed it over to Bass, who immediately started reading.

Treason?

Murder?

The deaths of thousands of citizens through the use of nuclear weapons?

Bass frowned in confusion. What the hell was this? There was more writing at the bottom.

I, Connor Bennett, President of the New Republic, hereby order the execution of one Sebastian Monroe, for the crime of murder. Monroe, in allegiance with a terrorist organization who refer to themselves as "The Patriots", took part in the needless slaughter of thousands of innocent people. He is to face hanging for his crimes.

Bass was stunned. What was Connor doing? Was he really up here at night practicing writing the order for his fathers death?

Aaron handed over another page, this one a mock-up of a wanted poster. With Bass' name on it. And those same words. "by the order of Connor Bennett, President of the New Republic."

Another page detailed the marriage announcement of one Miss Charlotte Matheson. To Connor Bennett.

There was one detailing the crimes of Miles Matheson as well.

This was insane.

Every page he looked at brought about a fresh wave of horror and disgust.

And then there were the drawings. There were at least twenty. And all were of Charlie, in varying states of undress. Sometimes she wasn't alone in them. Connor wasn't a very good artist, but the captions he added made it clear who they were supposed to be of.

He was repulsed. And furious. But before he could voice any of his feelings about what they had just discovered, the boy returned.

"What the hell?" He burst out at the kid, "Why did you show me this?"

"We showed you what we needed you to see. You will leave with the boy and you won't return. He will bring you back to who you were in the past and you will be unable to return here - because Charlie Matheson will hate you for it. So you will bring your son to the power he wishes for and when he gets it, he will kill you with it."

The boy pointed at the page he was holding. It was a drawing of Charlie. Naked. With a man on top of her.

"We have seen his dreams, his desires. He plans to be rid of you and to claim her for himself. And if he does, she will die. For she will discover that he took your life and she will die in order to defeat him. This is the life that will unfold if you follow your current plan."

"How can you possibly know that?" Aaron asked skeptically.

The boy turned to him. "We change the very molecules of the air to burn your enemies. We renew and regenerate even dead things. Yet you question how we can calculate the outcome of an action or decision."

"Fair point," Aaron mumbled.

Bass' blood was still boiling over what was in front of him, what he had just heard. The knowledge that his son must truly hate him hurt. Deeply. But the fact that he was already meticulously planning his death - and how to take Charlie from him... There weren't words to cover what that made him feel.

"Why?" He looked to the little boy. "Why are you telling me? Since when did Team Nerds little science project care about what happens to me?"

"You have lain awake at night, Sebastian Monroe, wondering what would become of you if you lost Charlotte Matheson. We have seen your thoughts. If Sebastian Monroe loses her, he eventually becomes a monster again. And thousands of people will die on your journey to place your child in power. More human lives will be eradicated. This we wish to prevent."

Bass didn't know what to say, or think, or do. Aaron, beside him, was watching the boy carefully. "So, you're saying that Charlie is stuck with this guy unless she wants him to be a monster again?"

The glare he got sent a deep flush across his face. "Seriously, Staypuft. that's what you're focusing on?"

The truth was, he was a little worried himself about that statement, but there were definitely more pressing issues here.

"He will change, for the better. But the catalyst for that change is your friend Charlotte. If they separate now, the progress made will be reversed. The guilt over what he will do to her will cause him to close off his emotions. The road ahead is dark for Sebastian Monroe."

"How do I fix it?" Bass questioned, frustrated and creeped out.

"We do not know everything." Was the reply. The little shit actually sounded amused. Before he could choke the little prick though - he disappeared.

Charlie sat alone on the couch, feeling numb. She liked numb. Feeling nothing was a hell of a lot easier than the screaming pain of loss inside of her.

The worst thing about that pain was the fact that the deep, burning hurt came more from the loss of Bass Monroe than the loss of her mom.

She had already grieved for the mother she once had, years ago. And had made the lives of everyone around her miserable in the process. Something that she was only fully beginning to understand now. Poor Maggie had tried so hard for her, only to have all that effort thrown back in her face. Charlie wished she was here with her now. Maggie would know what to say. She would wrap Charlie in her arms and hold her there. And Charlie would tell her how sorry she was. Maggie would rock her gently and tell her it was okay - that everything would be alright. That Monroe would be alright, that her mom was alright now that she was with Danny again.

At the thought of her sweet little brother, Charlie felt the tears come again. The door opened as she buried her face in her hands. Arms slid around her tightly, kisses were pressed all over her hair.

"Ssssh, it's okay. It's all going to be alright." Charlie felt her blood turn to ice.

Lifting her head, she felt her stomach drop as her eyes met a sympathetic gaze.

"Connor."